When France fell to the Nazis during WWII, the Channel Islands fell as well, despite the fact that they were a part of the British Commonwealth. Jersey, the Southern-most of the three islands, is the setting of Libby Cone’s novel about the way in which the Channel islands and its citizens were impacted by Nazi occupation. Here, we meet Marlene Zimmer, an anxious single, orphaned woman in her mid to late 20s working for the Jersey Aliens Office. This is where Jersey citizens were requested and then forced to register as Jews when they met the ever broadening requirements. Although she considers herself a Christian and a British citizen, her father was Jewish. When the office is finally instructed to classify Jews as foreigners, Marlene’s nerves can no longer take the stress. She leaves her work, her flat, and her identity behind to hide on the island in hopes of somehow surviving the remainder of the war. What she finds is work on the Resistance and a place to belong with Lucille and Suzanne, partners in life, art, and politics.

There are several stories told in this novel: Marlene’s reaction to Nazi occupation and her Jewish heritage, Lucy and Suzanne’s early life and current work resisting the occupation, and Peter’s journey as a Jew imprisoned and shipped to the Channel Islands for slave labor. Marlene is the main character and her life flows through those of Lucy, Suzanne, and Peter. I was most interested in Lucy and Suzanne’s story. They were fascinating women and I enjoyed reading about their work for the Resistance. As much as I liked Marlene, I would have loved to have read a novel entirely about them.

Intermixed within each character’s stories, there were chapters containing official communications between the Nazis to the Aliens Office and the registered Jews on Jersey requesting information about their status and their future. While Marlene worked for the Aliens Office, it made sense to me that they were there - as if Marlene was reading them and discovering what was happening. After that, If felt that they got in my way. This is partially due to the fact that the novel’s layout is structured with double spaces between lines which made these sections especially hard to read. After I found that I could follow the political changes easily through the context of the story, I began skimming and then skipping them altogether.

War on the Margins brought a perspective of the Resistance Movement during WWII that was unique and interesting. I found the strength and creativity of Lucy and Suzanne refreshing and engaging. This novel has encouraged me to look more into underground efforts against the Nazis in occupied territories. Although the formatting of the text was unusual, I quickly got used to it with the exception of the communication chapters. The novel read quickly and kept me interested throughout. It would suggest this book to anyone interested in WWII, living under Nazi occupation, and the Resistance.

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War on the Margins is a debut novel from Libby Cone, set on the Channel Islands during World War II, with the main focus of the story centering on how the islanders endured the Nazi Occupation. Moreover it’s a story about resistance, as a number of the islanders unify in an attempt to expel the Fascist menace; for some though it’s also a story of endurance, as the hardships of imprisonment become a reality.

From the outset I’ve got to say that War on the Margins is a real eye-opener. I was fully aware of the fact that the Channel Islands were occupied during WW2 before reading this novel, but I had no idea to what extent the Islands and its residents suffered under Nazi control. This novel really does bring home just how widespread starvation and persecution were on the Channel Islands during the period, and it ain’t pretty!

The novel follows a number of primary story threads, the main one being the Occupation experiences of the chief protagonist, Marlene Zimmer. Marlene works for the Aliens Office on Jersey, and after gaining an advance insight into the Occupation measures being implemented by the Germans, she discovers that her distant Jewish heritage is detrimental to her safety. So she quickly flees to begin a new life elsewhere on the island; a covert one that involves few pleasures and much indignation. I really like the author’s treatment of this character. She evolves Marlene from being a woman largely devoid of ambition and unsure of her own identity, into one of the complete polar opposite. My only complaint is that the author didn’t spend more time exploring Marlene’s evolution (more on that later), but putting that aside, Marlene’s story is a definite highlight of the novel.

Another primary focus of War on the Margins is on the French artists and lovers - Lucille and Suzanne, the ‘real life’ island residents who inspired the novel in the first place. Their relationship brings another aspect to the ‘marginal’ theme of the novel, and although no exploration of homosexual persecution is explored (presumably because it never emerged as an issue), the relationship between the lovers is, and what emerges as a consequence of Cone’s excellent crafting of the story, is the depth of love and devotion that the two artists showed for one another; a depth that undoubtedly nurtured an inner strength in both women and kept them motivated during that great time of adversity. That adversity reaches its zenith when both women were arrested for suspected clandestine activity and jailed in the local prison. Here I feel the novel really reaches its zenith too, with the author making full use of the actual prison letters and poems of Lucille Schwob to enrich the story.

Aside from an additional couple of less significant story threads, War on the Margins also focuses on the plight of political prisoners shipped to Jersey en masse, to provide the workforce for building construction. The main ‘player’ here is Peter, a Polish political prisoner, who eventually ties up with one of the other main characters of the novel. Again I liked the author’s treatment of the character, at least in the initial stages of his introduction. Here in Peter the reader sees the stoic resoluteness of a prisoner wronged for his beliefs, surviving in an environment pretty much akin to Hell. It’s powerful stuff from Cone and aside from the descriptions of punishments served out to deserting or non-compliant German soldiers, it’s the portion of the novel that provides the most graphical impact.

As good as War on the Margins is though, it’s not without a couple of minor niggles in my opinion. I’ve already mentioned that the novel follows a number of primary story threads, and while these are all tightly controlled and interwoven well into the narrative, the number of story threads included is perhaps a little too ambitious for a novel of this length. I feel there’s not enough focus spent on a particular story thread at any one time to allow the reader to fully connect with a character, or to sympathise with the situations that they find themselves in. There are some dire situations created in this novel, mainly centering around characters ‘holing up’ in squalid conditions such as cellars, prisons, transport ships etc., and while Cone paints the story of their plight superbly well to some extent, you never really get a total sense of sympathetic connection with them.

My other minor niggle with the novel is centered around the flow of the story. I’m delighted that the author has seen fit to include official documents and orders in this novel, both for historical reference and context-setting, but the documents are presented verbatim, with their expanse usually filling a number of pages. All good and well but this had the affect of interrupting the flow of the story for me, and I found I needed a paragraph or two afterward, just to get back into the story. I’m well aware of the importance of these documents to the novel but perhaps it would have been better only embedding extracts of these documents in the narrative flow, and linking these extracts to full reproductions in an appendix at the back of the book.

Overall though I wouldn’t let any minor complaints that I have put you off reading War on the Margins for yourself. My annoyances may well be just idiosyncratic, and regardless, they do little to interfere with the ‘enjoyment’ of this novel. This is truly an accomplished work by Libby Cone, not least for its historical value, and it is one that should be read by anyone who has the slightest interest in the Nazi Occupation of the Channel Islands. Cone should be celebrated for what she has achieved in War on the Margins, for aside from illustrating the suffering that the Channel Islanders endured, she’s spotlighted the degree to which Nazi persecution of the Jews extended; a persecution in this case, that offers a chilling glimpse into the fate that would no doubt have awaited Jews in mainland Britain should the Nazis have succeeded with their belligerent expansion.

Libby Cone’s biggest success in War on the Margins though is undoubtedly her ability to weave the real-life prison diaries and poems of Lucille Schwob into the novel (along with the other primary source documents to a lesser degree). Before reading War on the Margins I was aware that the author had included primary source material in the novel, so I was intrigued to see how successfully she would manage this. I’m happy to say, although I would have liked to have seen more, that she’s achieved it admirably. This on its own makes War on the Margins a worthwhile read, and one I highly recommend. Just be aware that War on the Margins isn’t a casual ‘pick up and put down’ kind of novel though. It’s one of these novels that requires a fairly high level of engagement and plenty of cogitation. Put the effort in though and I guarantee that you’ll be richly rewarded. ( )

If you liked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (I didn't particularly care for it), you might like War on the Margins, which also tells the story of the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. Unlike Guernsey, War on the Margins is not the least bit frivolous or formulaic.

War on the Margins threads together the fictionalized stories of several Channel Island residents suffering under the German occupation. Historical documents and letters are mixed liberally into the narrative, giving the book a serious, realistic tone. Although these historical details lend authenticity, this added material breaks up the flow of the narrative, reducing the emotional effect. War on the Margins contains too many separate stories to allow for the satisfying development of any one story, further decreasing the emotional impact. The overall effect is a book that’s interesting and ambitious (and better than Guernsey) but soulless.

This review also appears on my blog Literary License. ( )

This is an unforgettable read about the effects that WW11 had on the lives of the people of Jersey. To read it is to weep at the atrocities and unfairness, to rage at how this was allowed to happen, but ultimately to rejoice in the determined survival spirit that shone through. The fact that these events really took place and that they are not the invention of the author makes it all the more heart wrenching to read. Libby Cone has written her book in a sensitive manner and even allowed moments of humour to creep in. The author also used actual radio broadcasts of the time and several of the book’s characters were real people, not inventions from Cone’s mind, which makes the book all the more poignant. ( )